Pencil Beam Scanning Proton Therapy for Pregnant Patients With Brain and Head and Neck Cancers.

Purpose: When radiation therapy is medically necessary for pregnant patients, photon-based treatments (XRT) have traditionally been used, whereas proton radiation therapy (PRT) is avoided due to concerns about neutron dose. This retrospective study analyzes pregnant patients treated with XRT and models the equivalent dose that would have been delivered to the fetus with proton radiation compared with XRT. The purpose of this work is to provide a comprehensive analysis of pencil beam scanning proton therapy (PBS-PRT) for pregnant patients and to evaluate whether PBS-PRT should be the new standard of practice for treating pregnant patients with brain and head and neck cancers.

Proton Whole-Lung Irradiation: Initial Report of Outcomes.

Purpose: Whole-lung irradiation is typically used in pediatric patients to decrease the risk of future lung metastases, but radiation dose to normal tissue is associated with long-term risks. Proton whole-lung irradiation (PWLI) provides an opportunity to decrease radiation dose to normal tissue and potentially decrease late toxicity.

Methods And Materials: This retrospective study included patients treated with spot-scanning PWLI at a single institution.

Clinical efficacy and safety of a highly conformal, supine, hybrid forward and inverse planned intensity modulated radiation therapy technique for craniospinal irradiation.

Purpose: To demonstrate the clinical efficacy and safety of a highly conformal, supine, hybrid forward and inverse planned intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) technique for photon craniospinal irradiation (CSI).

Methods: Patients who received supine, hybrid IMRT CSI from 2009 to 2014 were included in this retrospective review. Clinical target volume (CTV) was defined as intracranial contents and thecal sac, including nerve roots.